Should I pay the final 11k after this door and paint disaster?

The peeling on your front and back doors is a textbook sign of **failed adhesion** becuase they skipped the prep work. Most exterior doors have a factory finish that's slick as glass; if you don't scuff-sand that surface and use a high-quality bonding primer before the topcoat, the paint will just slide right off or peel in sheets. It doesn't matter how expensive the paint is if the bond isn't there.

Claiming vinyl shutters can't be fixed is a total cop-out. You can definitely paint vinyl, but you have to use "vinyl-safe" colors and do proper cleaning to remove the oxidation first. If they're peeling now, it's because they painted over dirt or chalky residue. A 10% discount is insulting when you’re looking at $11,000 in remaining costs for a job that needs to be partially stripped. Stripping **Emerald gloss** is a massive labor expense because that stuff cures incredibly hard and doesn't sand easily. If the original crew walked because they weren't getting paid, you aren't dealing with a painting company anymore—you're dealing with a middleman who is drowning. That one guy left behind is just there to put out fires, not to give you a profesional finish. Bubbling near light fixtures ussually means they painted over moisture or didn't let the previous coat dry long enough, wich is a recipe for a permanent mess.

I'd stop them right now. Don't pay another dime of that $11,000. Document every drip and every failure. You’ll likely need that money to hire a real pro who will actually charge you more than the remaining balance because they have to fix the previous guy's mistakes before they can even start. Tell the manager the current quality is a breach of contract and they've had their chance to cure the defects.

That part about the factory finish being slick as glass is terrifying. I’m actualy looking at painting my steel entry door next month and I keep seeing those 'all-in-one' paints at the store. Are those just a marketing gimmick for beginners like me? If the OP's doors are allready peeling, does that mean they have to sand it all the way back down to the original surface to fix it? I’m trying to figure out if I should just pay a pro from the start or if this is something a newbie can actually handle without ending up with $11k in damage.

You’re 100% looking at stripping it back to the original substrate. If you just sand the edges and paint over, you'll get 'ghosting' where the old layers show thru, plus the original failure will just keep spreading underneath. Those 'all-in-one' paints are basicly a trap for doors. They never bite like a dedicated bonding primer. Also, watch out for 'blocking' with that Emerald gloss. If they didn't let it cure for days before closing the door, it’ll glue the door to the weatherstripping. I've seen people rip the seals right off trying to open a 'finished' door because the paint was still soft.